Monday Morning Check-In: We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming…

Good Monday morning fellow readers! I am happy to announce that I survived Fair Week. It is always so nice to see everyone each year, but it is such a busy week! I was into town every day, once twice, and taking care of cats and working and yard work… well maybe not so much the yard work, I may need a machete to get through the lawn if I don’t mow today. So how many books did I get read while babysitting projects at the fair? Zero, but I did almost finish a lovely scarf that I plan on entering next year for the knitting class. I am still have about 20 pages left of the little Star Trek serial I started last week. I am going to finish it today…or rather tonight, and get the review posted for you all soon. After that I am going to switch back to some review books that I am excited to start.

Now that the fair is over I can obsess and pester everyone about the Kenyon book signing I am going to in less than two weeks. Cue fan-girl screaming. I am definitely going now, husband joining me is still up in the air, but I ordered my copy of the book and booked a hotel room at the hotel hosting the signing. Because you can’t accidentally run into authors at breakfast or in the elevator if you aren’t staying in the same hotel! That and then I don’t have to mess with Chicago traffic and trying to get to and from my hotel for the event. Now I need to study the directions and street maps like I am cramming for a physics exam in a class I skipped all semester. This is going to also be my first time driving to Chicago by myself, the main source of trepidation for both me and my husband. It should be fine though, I do know the area as we have stayed there before and I am the better of the two of us with directions. After all I’m the one that can navigate Istanbul each time we visit from memory…

I’ve also been struck with a cold sweat over what do I want to say to Ms. Kenyon during my brief moment with her. How do I sum up the amount of appreciation and admiration I have and convey the tremendous amount of joy her books have brought me without making her uncomfortable and signaling security to have me removed or fainting. No seriously this could be an issue, I need to make sure I eat just enough not to pass out, but not so much I want to puke which could be another real possibility. It is a good thing I have two weeks to sort this all out, sum up my thoughts, plan an outfit, etc. I’m either going to chill out over the whole thing or work myself up into a fan-girl mess.

So this week I thought I would ask all of you for advice, especially to those of you that have met your favorite author or some other celebrity you admire. What tip do you have for me? What should I not forget, besides a camera? Was there anything you forgot to say or wish you had said? Tips from authors would be great too! What bugs you about over-excited fans? How do you wish we would act when meeting you?